Manhattan-Morgan State: Jaspers Continue Road Trip Down South

The Manhattan Jaspers, coming off what might have been the ugliest game ever, travel to Baltimore this weekend to face the Morgan State Bears.

In last year's meeting, Manhattan waited until there were nine seconds left to win the game on an Antoine Pearson layup.

Morgan State (5-4, 1-0 MEAC), led by Reggie Holmes (24.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG), looks for redemption against the Jaspers. The Bears have already had success against Arkansas and Louisville, although they fell short of a win at Freedom Hall.

Manhattan (5-4, 1-1 MAAC), has been extremely inconsistent this season and it is hard to predict how they will play against a fairly good team like Morgan State.

Most likely, this will be a win for Morgan State. However, if Manhattan does certain things right, they have a slim chance of being victorious.

Keys For The Morgan State Bears

Take Advantage Of Size In The Post

Kevin Thompson has been averaging 13.8 PPG and 12.2 RPG. At 6'8" and 240 pounds, he is taller than every Manhattan player except for Laurence Jolicoeur and Kevin Laue. Laue barely plays and Jolicoeur is thin as a stick. The Bears will need Thompson to exploit his advantage in the post.

Don't Be Afraid To Put The Ball In The Hands Of Reggie Holmes

Reggie Holmes, the No. 5 scorer in the nation, has the ability to dominate the game. He has failed to reach double digits only once this season, and that was in a game where he was in foul trouble from the start and only played 16 minutes. In those 16 minutes, he was still able to score nine points.

Holmes should be able to handle the Manhattan defense and put up typical numbers.

Keys For The Manhattan Jaspers

Minimize Reggie Holmes' Opportunities

Reggie Holmes will most likely have a typical game and score upwards of 20 points. However, there is one way for Manhattan to potentially minimize the damage that Holmes does. Patrick Bouli is The Jaspers' best defender and he should guard Holmes to limit him to as few points as possible.

Share The Ball

By "share the ball," I don't exactly mean to put big numbers into the assist column. In the Jaspers' last game, they barely passed the ball on offense and were lifeless. Manhattan only had three assists from two different players. They need to learn to be less selfish.